Pages

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Heart Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  This post is not going to be a gushy, emotional letter to Husband.  Husband can't really cope with earnest. Seriously, I think it causes him physical pain. 


So instead I thought I'd use this day of love and romantic prettiness to talk about blood. One of my favourite things about this time of year is that the season of Hearts tends to bring with it numerous blood drives.  I don't know about where you're from but it seems pretty standard here in Canada that in February there are any number of opportunities to make a difference and help save a life by giving blood. 

Blood donation is a topic that is near and dear to our hearts (does that count as a pun?) since neither Husband or I can give blood.  Husband was a regular blood donor in the UK and would be able to give blood if we still lived there but Canada doesn't allow individuals who lived in Britain during certain periods of time to donate blood.  Certain things were more common in the UK so they screen for them whereas our system isn't set up to identify them.  So Husband can't give blood. 

I gave blood several times in my mid-20s before I moved to the UK.  When I moved back I went to give blood (the mid to late 2000s weren't a time they were concerned about) as before.  Was fine while giving blood, went to get my juice and cookies and fainted. This is highly uncommon but there are a few people out there who can't handle losing the small amount of blood that they take for donation.  I tried several months later and the same thing happened so the staff (who were awesome and spent crazy amounts of time putting my feet up and providing cold cloths and juice and such) told me I should find another way to support blood services. 

The majority of people are able to give blood and suffer nothing more than a little pin prick.  In return you get to know that someone dealing with a major health issue stands a better chance because you gave blood.  Before she eventually passed away my Grandmother was getting regular blood transfusions that helped to prolong and improve the quality of her life.  Plus you get free juice and cookies and other types of treats. 

To find out more about giving blood in Canada visit Canadian Blood Services.





3 comments:

Husband said...

In the eyes of the Canadian Blood services Husband is a mad cow. It would explain your frequent observations of husband being soft in the head...

Melissa Wright said...

Love that picture of the two of you!

Bec said...

Well said!